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Holiday Gift Guide 2018

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Hello! Today I wanted to share some gift ideas for the coming holidays! I have quite a few Secret Santa's and holiday parties this year, so here's a nice round up for you in case you're still shopping for gifts right up till Christmas Day!

A handful of gifts that I purchased this year were from the One of A Kind Show*! I always make my trip down each year, whether it’s the winter or spring show. The One of a Kind Show features vendors and artisans from across Canada. It is such a great opportunity to shop local and support handmade. You can find almost everything there, which makes it easy to find gifts for the people in your life or even to get inspiration too.

1. Gourmet chocolate

For a foodie, or someone who simply loves sweets, gourmet chocolate will definitely satisfy their sweet tooth! Alicja Confections caught my eye with the beautiful and colourful packaging! She offers many unique and funky flavours, including one inspired by Japanese ramen and another incorporating florals. They’re packaged like postcards too because they can be mailed out via the post! So creative! I got one of their bestsellers, Slodka Sol (salted toffee milk chocolate) and the Espresso (espresso dark chocolate).

Alicja Confections is based in Ottawa, ON, but you can purchase these every year at the One of a Kind Show. The closest store to me that carries the chocolate bars is the Too Good General Store in Unionville, ON. You can also purchase online at One of a Kind Online Shop or Alicja Confection website here.

2. Glass straws

For a treehugger, or someone who simply wants to be more eco-friendly, a glass straw would be such a meaningful gift to help them with the cause! Many businesses are already trying to phase out the use of plastic straws as well. Glass Sipper had so many straw options: type, length, bent or straight, plain or hand-designed. The straws are made with Pyrex glass, so they're very durable and can be cleaned in the dishwasher as well! So convenient! Even if something does happen to the straw, you don't need to fret since it comes with a lifetime warranty! I purchased two plain glass bubbletea straws, so they're big enough to suck up tapioca and jelly.

Tea is such a universal gift, and Tealish Teas makes it so easy to find a type of tea for anyone because of their huge variety! It's such a comforting drink, especially in the cold seasons. You can also include a tea set or tea accessories with the looseleaf tea canisters (so pretty), which Tealish has available as well. They have different collections of teas to help you find the right one: seasonal sweets, gourmet classics, wellness teas, and many more.

Tealish Teas is based in Toronto, ON (woop woop!). You can purchase their teas every year at the One of a Kind Show, on the One of a Kind Online Shop, or the Tealish website here.

4. Handmade jewellery/accessories

Yes you can get cheap jewellery at your local mall, but a handmade piece of jewellery made with quality materials would mean so much more! White Feather Designs has such beautiful pieces that encompasses modern, vintage, and organic looks. This pair of reticulated, leaf drop earrings is 22k gold-plated so it's not going to discolour and turn green like cheaper materials. The sapphire blue enamel against the gold colour is stunning, and it has a very natural, earthy look to them! For the handmade work done to make the earrings and the quality materials used, it was VERY reasonably priced! There were many other pieces that I wanted to get too but I really had to resist.

This is a great option if you want to gift something edible that's different from the classic Christmas chocolate or cookies. I discovered Tracy's Wine Jellies at the show and it was so interesting! They are surprisingly not too sweet and you can really taste the wine flavour in the jellies. It's a nice, classy treat to pair with artisan crackers/biscuits. They have many flavours as well, but I chose the two most luxurious flavours (which happened to already be packaged together): Vidal Ice Wine jelly and the Port Wine jelly.

Tracy's Wine Jellies is based in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON. You can purchase them online here or at Global Cheese in Kensington Market, Toronto.

Those were all the gifts I got from the One of a Kind Show! Some of my other gift ideas are listed down below:

6. Touchscreen gloves so that their hands can stay warm outside while using their phones.
7. Google Home Mini so that their home can be made smarter and more efficient. You can bundle it with a smart plugs or smart bulbs too!
8. Hot cocoa set with the drink mixes and an accompanying mug. Starbucks offers a set exactly like this!
9. Travel skincare sets so they can try new products, treat their skin, and take with them while travelling. My favourite sets are from Fresh!
10. Stojo Collapsible Mug which is so good to take on the go without taking up space in your bag or pockets!

Hope this helps! All of these are gifts that I'm giving to friends and family too!

Until next time, Des

*Ticket to the show was complimentary for editorial consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own and genuine.

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Hello!

My name is Desiree and I'm from Toronto, Canada. Welcome to my creative space! This is my avenue to share about the things I love: beauty, fashion, home, and lifestyle. I hope you stick around and experience the joys of life with me!